Each year at New Haven Elementary School, girls in grades K-6 are given the chance to participate in the Little Cheer Camp. This program is an opportunity for the younger girls in elementary school to work with the high school cheerleaders to spark their interest in becoming a cheerleader when they get to high school.
This year, there was a total of 48 girls participating. Little Cheer Camp consists of two days of practicing two different sideline cheers and two floor cheers with the high school cheerleaders from 3:00 to 4:30 at the elementary school.
The first day of camp, the girls were split up according to grade level and given snacks. Then, the cheerleaders began teaching the girls the difference between a clap and a clasp. A clap is an open handed strike of the hands that makes a loud, high-pitched noise, while a clasp is more of a closed, deeper type of noise. Next, the girls were taught how to “cheer sit” and were arranged into their lines where they would stand at the performance. Finally, the campers began to learn their cheers for the performance the following Thursday.
The kindergarteners were taught by Karissa Durbin and Jenny Gallardo and learned “Big G, Little O” and “Put it Through for Two.” The first graders were taught by Jenny Alvarez and Stephanie Russo and learned “Shake it Like You're Proud” and “Take It to the Hoop.” The second graders were taught by Lexie Nixon and Emily Moreno and learned “Rock Steady” and “Hey, Let's Go," and the third graders were taught by Emily Lewis, Luna Tomasi, and Nele Granse, and they learned “Shoot that Ball” and “Fight, Fight Tonight.” The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders were taught by LeeAnna Linton and Sharon Brewster and learned “Upside Down” and “Keep It Up.” The entire group of girls learned three crowd cheers to perform together. These cheers were “Shamrocks Get Fired Up”, “That Mighty Shamrock Beat,” and “Hey, Hey, it’s Time to FIight.”
“All the campers are loud and peppy,” mentioned Jenny Alvarez. “I think it will turn out good.”
The second day consisted of the campers learning the cheers again and practicing them until they were comfortable with them. Then the high school cheerleaders got to show off for the girls. The pendulum cheer, where Jenny Alvarez is dropped forward and pushed back up, was performed, and the girls loved it. There were also several other floor cheers that were performed as well.
Thursday night was the camp performance. The stands were crowded with parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, all eagerly waiting to watch their little ones perform. During the halftime of the Junior Varsity game, the girls were introduced by cheerleading co-coach LuAnn Engelbrecht. Then, the high school cheerleaders started their walk-out cheer, “Shamrocks Get Fired Up,” and the girls fell into their formations by grade level.
The kindergarteners performed first, followed by first grade, then second grade, and so on. At the end of the performance, the two floor cheers, “That Mighty Shamrock Beat” and “Hey, Hey, It’s Time to Fight,” were performed as crowd cheers. Parents were then asked to pick up their children in the cafeteria.
This year, Little Cheer Camp proved to be a success, and hopefully the cheerleaders will keep the tradition going in the years to come.
-by Karissa Durbin
The first day of camp, the girls were split up according to grade level and given snacks. Then, the cheerleaders began teaching the girls the difference between a clap and a clasp. A clap is an open handed strike of the hands that makes a loud, high-pitched noise, while a clasp is more of a closed, deeper type of noise. Next, the girls were taught how to “cheer sit” and were arranged into their lines where they would stand at the performance. Finally, the campers began to learn their cheers for the performance the following Thursday.
The kindergarteners were taught by Karissa Durbin and Jenny Gallardo and learned “Big G, Little O” and “Put it Through for Two.” The first graders were taught by Jenny Alvarez and Stephanie Russo and learned “Shake it Like You're Proud” and “Take It to the Hoop.” The second graders were taught by Lexie Nixon and Emily Moreno and learned “Rock Steady” and “Hey, Let's Go," and the third graders were taught by Emily Lewis, Luna Tomasi, and Nele Granse, and they learned “Shoot that Ball” and “Fight, Fight Tonight.” The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders were taught by LeeAnna Linton and Sharon Brewster and learned “Upside Down” and “Keep It Up.” The entire group of girls learned three crowd cheers to perform together. These cheers were “Shamrocks Get Fired Up”, “That Mighty Shamrock Beat,” and “Hey, Hey, it’s Time to FIight.”
“All the campers are loud and peppy,” mentioned Jenny Alvarez. “I think it will turn out good.”
The second day consisted of the campers learning the cheers again and practicing them until they were comfortable with them. Then the high school cheerleaders got to show off for the girls. The pendulum cheer, where Jenny Alvarez is dropped forward and pushed back up, was performed, and the girls loved it. There were also several other floor cheers that were performed as well.
Thursday night was the camp performance. The stands were crowded with parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, all eagerly waiting to watch their little ones perform. During the halftime of the Junior Varsity game, the girls were introduced by cheerleading co-coach LuAnn Engelbrecht. Then, the high school cheerleaders started their walk-out cheer, “Shamrocks Get Fired Up,” and the girls fell into their formations by grade level.
The kindergarteners performed first, followed by first grade, then second grade, and so on. At the end of the performance, the two floor cheers, “That Mighty Shamrock Beat” and “Hey, Hey, It’s Time to Fight,” were performed as crowd cheers. Parents were then asked to pick up their children in the cafeteria.
This year, Little Cheer Camp proved to be a success, and hopefully the cheerleaders will keep the tradition going in the years to come.
-by Karissa Durbin
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